


Stop Pretending You Care About Me!

by poisonous_panda



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Brotherhood, Friendship, Gen, Insecurity, Nightmare, armiger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-15 22:36:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12330240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poisonous_panda/pseuds/poisonous_panda
Summary: Prompto's insecurities finally get the better of him. He wanders away from camp all distressed and runs into an Iron Giant. How will things play out? Will the Bros save him? And if they do can they get through to Prompto through his Hysteria?





	Stop Pretending You Care About Me!

Awakening from a nightmare with panic curdling in his gut, Prompto sits bolt upright in the tent; the green blanket sliding off him and pooling at his side. By his feet the Prince sleeps, not disturbed in the slightest. The big guy Gladio continues to snore uninterrupted and Ignis - the Strategist - sleeps soundly by the tent wall, curled and as content as a kitten.

None of them know. It’s the same nightmare that’s plagued him since childhood.

Coming home to an empty house, no parents. Although now it was beginning to morph into something else: coming home to an empty motel room, no friends and no Regalia parked out front. Instinctively knowing he’s been abandoned and frantically searching for anyone. But there’s never anybody around, not even passers by. Prompto was always utterly alone in the dreamworld.

Crawling out of the tent, Prompto pays no mind to the shivers running through him as the cold wind batters his freckled skin. He’s only in his silly yellow Chocobo underpants. The chill made him feel alive.

He kneeled and began stoking the fire, wondering if he should just shoot the damn kindling and hope for a spark to ignite it when a surge of adrenline coarsed through him, forcing him to his feet and wringing his fingers together as they began to tingle. He felt nausous with… Nerves? Excitement? Fear?

Who cared.

Reaching for his gun and loading the golden weapon, Prompto pads off the campsite barefoot, not even attempting to wrap his spare arm around himself to retain some body heat.

It wasn’t long before he ran into an Iron Giant once he was away from the safety of the First Oracle’s runes.

A disgusting groan came from a pool of black and purple Darkness in the middle of the road, and a huge metal hand burst from the portal. Once it found purchase, the monstrosity pulled itself from it’s prison - giant sword ‘n all - to face the lone gunman.

“Fuck you.” Prompto spits, finding relief in having something to direct his anger and bitterness to, rather than the abstract feelings inside his head that were more painful to battle.

Whether the Giant understood, Prompto did not know. But it swung for the underdressed blonde nonetheless. Prompto dodged it with ease due to the Giant’s lumbering pace and sent five rounds it’s way - both on the head and chest, although one missed the target.

This dance continues for a while, and with every bit of damage he inflicted, Prompto felt a little better. And a little more tired.

He needed to reload twice, but luckily he stored ammunition in the Armiger so it wasn’t a problem.

What he did not realise however, was that Noctis could feel every time Prompto reached into it.

It startled the sleepy Prince awake, and upon realising he hadn’t dreamt the sensation because there was a distinct lack of feet near him, he practically pounced on Gladio and used one hand to shake Ignis awake.

“Prompto’s in trouble!” the Prince’s moonlight eyes beseeched his retainers. They were all on their feet, dressed and armed within an instant.

They could hear the gunshots as soon as they scrambled out from the tent. Prompto had indeed not made it very far before he was attacked, he was just out of sight but not out of earshot.

The three friends rushed to their friend’s aid.

They found the Iron Giant limping and haphazardly swinging it’s sword. Prompto had done a significant amount of damage, but they could see their friend was exhausted and lying on his back in the road; bathed in the glow of the streetlight, propped up by his elbow, bloodied up whilst still trying to aim his gun, shivering and…. and just in his underpants.

“Prompto!!” Noctis screams as the Iron Giant made to cleave the fatigued young male directly from above. But Gladio was there in an instant and the sound of both of their greatswords clashing was tremendous, and it boomed through the night.

It was the distraction they needed.

The emotional rush sent Noctis into overdrive and he summoned his Armiger weapons all at once and unleashed his fury upon the daemon while Ignis ran to Prompto’s side and smashed an Elixir over their injured comrade.

The Iron Giant fell down dead under Noct’s onslaught of crystalline weapons and Gladio’s almighty blows.

They turned their backs on it before its corpse had even dissapated back to the shadows.

Noctis was at his best friend’s side instantanously, scuffing his knees as he literally slid down the floor to slide next to him.

“Hey buddy are you okay?” his words came out in a panicked rush.

“Yeah I’m fine.” Prompto curtly answers, ignoring Ignis’ outstretched hand and unsteadily getting to his feet by himself.

Gladio removed his leather jacket and gently placed it around the slim man’s shoulders. The bad weather never affected Gladio’s muscular frame so he did not mourn the loss of it.

Noctis was about to open his mouth to grill his best friend for running away and fighting a daemon IN HIS UNDERWEAR when Prompto - who still hadn’t made eye contact with any of them - grabbed Gladio’s jacket with one hand and threw it to the floor.

“Hey you little punk-!” Gladio started, but Ignis held his hand up to silence his friend. Whether or not Prompto saw the guesture they didn’t know; he was looking at the floor.

“Prompto,” Ignis begins sternly - yet kindly, “Why would you wish to face the daemon alone?”

“Don’t pretend you care.” Prompto states, still staring at the floor yet balling his fists; the venom in his voice shocking the other three.

“Prompto!” Noctis couldn’t help but desperately shout, taking a step towards his childhood friend. This wasn’t like him at all.

“Don’t shout at me!” the blonde screams in a high pitched voice at his friend, snapping his head up so he was finally looking at them while tears spilled from the corners of both eyes. He was also shaking.

Noctis holds his hands up. “Easy buddy.”

Prompto turns his back to walk further off into the wilderness - where he would go he didn’t know, but he was still running on adreneline from the nightmare and the fight.

But Ignis intercepts him and stands in front of him. Yet he couldn’t manage to get a word out because Prompto began to verbally assault him.

“Why waste an Elixir? I thought you was the smart one!” Prompto tries to push Ignis with both hands, but the Adviser merely seized his boney wrists. Seeing the opportunity, Noctis retrieves Gladio’s jacket from the ground and wraps it around Prompto’s shoulders from behind his friend. Prompto doesn’t even turn his head to acknowledge the action; his watery blue eyes were locked staring at the catlike emerald ones belonging to Ignis. Gladio just stood back with his arms crossed over his well sculpted chest - he hated emotional situations.

“Because you are our comrade. And whatever is running through your mind right now, never forget your place with us.” Ignis sternly tells the younger boy as he releases his wrists.

Shrugging the jacket off his freckled shoulders so it once again hits the tarmac of the road, Prompto continues to shake.

“MY PLACE WITH YOU GUYS?” he practically shrieks at Ignis, - the blonde’s eyes wide and unseeing in his hysteria - but at least he’s rooted to the spot during his outburst so Ignis just places one hand on his hip and allows the gunslinger to unload on him.

“I don’t have a place with you all! I... I wanted to but I- “ Prompto’s voice cracks as his knees buckle and tears spill down his narrow face again, “I wanted to. But we all know I don’t belong.” he finishes more solemnly.

“We’d have left you back at the Crown City if you didn’t.” Gladio grumbled from behind him, still with his arms crossed.

Prompto looks over his shoulder at him, but doesn’t say a word.

Noctis hesitantly steps towards Prompto’s back and places a hand on his bare shoulder. Prompto flinched at the warmth but did not turn to face him. “You’re my best friend, of course I want you here. Of course you belong here.”

The calm that had soothed Prompto just now shattered and he whips away from Noct’s touch and faces him with a face like Ramuh’s thunder. The streetlamps illuminating his wet face and widened eyes so he looked like a cornered desperate animal.

“STOP PRETENDING YOU CARE ABOUT ME!” he screams into his Prince’s face, “We all remember what you thought of me when we met!”

Gladio instinctively flinched at the gunslinger’s outburst to his Prince, but reigned himself in. Prompto would never harm Noctis…. would he?

Noctis on the other hand, got defensive.

“You’re still pissed I called you heavy?!” he siezes Prompto’s forearm - probably hard enough to leave bruises with his fingertips but nobody is paying attention. Other than Ignis of course.

“I was never good enough! Not then, not now!” Prompto continues to babble, his eyes streaming now and his body shaking from both the cold and his emotions. He tried to pull away and failed, but everyone could see it was only a half-hearted attempt.

“That’s enough.” Ignis’ curt voice cut through the young boys’ arguing. They both jumped and turned to face him. Now he had their attention, he tried to reason with them.

“Prompto, if you wish, you can return to Hammerhead or Prairie Outpost to stay with Cid or the Hunters. We will not stop y-”

“Shut up Specs!” Noct’s outcry actually made both Ignis and Gladio jump, “He’s not going anywhere.”

He tightens his grip on Prompto’s forearm - causing the blonde to glare at his friend - and furrowed his eyebrows in defiance.

Moonlight eyes stared into ocean-blue ones.

Prompto cracked. He shivered so hard when a gust of chilly wind assaulted them that it caused his anger to fade. He just began sobbing and fell to his knees on the road. Noctis went down with him, keeping his hand clasped around Prompto’s arm.

Gladio paced towards them and retrieved his poor jacket from the floor and once again threw it on Prompto’s shoulders.

“I’ll make you clean it for a month if you throw it on the ground one more time.” he gruffly tells the younger man as he ruffled Prompto’s blonde locks with his giant hand.

It earned a chuckle from the two young men, but the Strategist just continued staring, analyzing body language.

“So…uh…” Noctis begins, breaking eye contact with his friend while he gathered the words he wanted to use, “Gonna tell us why you’ve got all psycho on us?”

Ignis kneeled behind Prompto while Gladio towered over them all. They all waited.

“I just…. I’m never good enough. I’m the weakest in battle, you always need to save me. I’m a bit of a dumbass and don’t always catch on to what you’re all doing…” Prompto weakly says, blushing and feeling pathetic surrounded by the people he loved the most. He loved them all so much, the fear of losing them caused him to lose his mind.

“You’re not wrong.” Gladio looks down at the blonde, but he ruffles his hair again with a wink to show it was a kind remark.

“You have not had the same amount of training we have.” Ignis concurs as Prompto looks over his shoulder at him, “But yet you still handle yourself as best you can - all for the sake of your friend rather than duty. That Prompto, is something to be proud of.” He places his hand on Prompto’s jacketed shoulder to provide some comfort along with his words.

“Y-yeah… but…. but I’m always in the way.” Prompto looks at the ground again.

“Only when you slip and slide all over the place.” Gladio chuckles, trying to lighten the mood.

“I’ve positively lost count of the amount of times I’ve nearly hit you throwing my daggers.” Ignis chuckles behind him.

Prompto isn’t sure how to take these comments, he still felt fragile. But looking up at Noct in front of him, his soul felt soothed because his friend was smirking.

“If nothing else, you’re a better gaming partner than these old stiffs!” Noctis laughs at his friend, and relief washed over the Prince when his school friend smiled.

“We’d never have got this far without you.” he tells his friend honestly.

“You do add a certain charm to the trip.” Ignis quips behind him, and Prompto doesn’t need to turn around to see him this time because he can hear the smile in his well-spoken friend’s voice.

“Now are we gonna go back to bed before more of those daemons show up?” Gladio asks. It’s a serious question but he tries to keep his voice light.

“Yes, otherwise Prompto will catch Cold.” Ignis says, standing up from his kneeling position behind Prompto, “Let us go.”

Gladio and Ignis walk back to the campsite a little ahead of Noctis and Prompto to give them time to talk. Although they were all brothers in arms, they knew the two young men shared a stronger bond.

“I-I’m… Sorry Noct.” Prompto says, trudging down the road holding Gladio’s jacket together around his slim frame.

“Forget about it.” Noctis tries to soothe his friend. Then he taps him on the back, “Just means I’m gonna kick your ass on King’s Knight tomorrow to make up for you waking me up this early!” the Prince chuckles. Prompto joins in, the relief in his gut practically making him feel nausous.

Gladio and Ignis heard every word, but pretended they didn’t. However, a satisfied smile graced their faces while the other two continued to laugh loudly and play-fight behind them.


End file.
